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IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME)
e-ISSN: 2320–7388,p-ISSN: 2320–737X Volume 4, Issue 2 Ver. IV (Mar-Apr. 2014), PP 07-11
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Attitude of Students towards Ethical and Moral Values in
Karachi, Pakistan
Dr. Memoona Saeed Lodhi1& Dr. Jawaid Ahmed Siddiqui2
1 Assistant Professor, Hamdard Institute of Education and Social Sciences, Hamdard University Karachi,
Pakistan
2 Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamdard University Karachi, Pakistan
Abstract: Education is the most important factor, which trains students towards social practices and moral
ethics. It is not only restricted to pursue degree for economic gain, rather attaining moral values. As the social
order is changing,children are more engaged in diverse society and extensively interacting with social media.
Sound and value based education in this context has become very crucial to prepare youth to live within ethical
boundaries.The research aims to find the attitude of school going students towards ethical goodness. Survey
methodology is chosen to conduct a research. The population for the study consists of all the students studying
at secondary level in Karachi. The sample size of 200 is selected through random sampling from 5private
institutions. The instrument used to obtain data was adapted from The Commitment to Ethical Goodness Scale
(Narvaez, Bock &Vaydich, 2008).The results show that majority of the respondents are positive on greater part
of the items of Ethical Identity Scale. The trend among the respondents for majority of the items in Moral Locus
of Control & Ethical Self- Regulation is found to be negative. The results also show that school going children
are conscious about their well-being. Attitude of few of the students is uncaring towards teachers and family
members. Their liberal decisions are highly influenced by external environment. Majority of the students have
uncaring attitude, whereas few are also engaged in unethical activities. Majority of the students follow their
own rules. Majority of the students’ value ethics.Around half of the students have not learnt about ethics in
school. The results conclude that moral education must be imparted to all the school going children to develop
ethical practices. Curriculum Wing of Ministry of Educationmust involve teachers to design a separate course
of ethics for students.
Keywords:Ethics, Domains, Attitude
I.
Introduction
Theincrease use of technology and cyberspace has become driving tool in shaping the behaviorand
social well-being of people. Human are highly mesmerized by the technological revolutions, which has not only
improved global interaction, but has also raised unethical practices. There are variousfactors which shape human
conduct, which include social relations, friend circle, family environment, culture,etc (Vink,
2012,Triandis&Suh, 2002). In the view of sociologists, norms, values, customs and social interactions greatly
influence human conduct (Blumer, 2004). One of the most important aspects of human personality, which
persuade human action, is morality.
Moral development has its philosophical basis dated back to the Greek philosophers. It studies about
human nature in realizing social goodness (Blasi, 2004). Several theories are presented on moral development.
Earlier, Kant gave theory based on actions and moral rules. His main focus was on the established rules which
one need to follow. This theory was highly criticized and disregarded because of obligations imposed on
individuals.Later, Piaget divided cognitive development based on moral development, where he categorized
ages for morality. Each level is unique and significant; however, the final stage- operational is the highest level
individual can attain. He believed that moral development is a developmental process which is based on
cognitive development (Pressley and McCormick, 2007).Kohlberg (1978)hypothesiswas based on the previous
theories, which highlights moral reasoning through three levels: Pre-conventional level behaviors, which are
directed by society and based on social acceptability, whereas individuals follow the directed instructions and
perform tasks due to the fear of punishment. Conventional level is directed by society, where human are obliged
to follow rules as per set by society, while Post-Conventional level include social contract.
From these theories, it is confirmed that morality is gradually attained through the process of development.
Many internal and external factors are involved in influencing moral act.
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Attitude Of Students Towards Ethical And Moral Values In Karachi, Pakistan
Figure 1: Kohlberg Stages of Moral Development
Children are mostly affected by societal changes (KoluckiandLemish, 2011). They adapt everything rapidly.
They believe in social interaction and learn new things from their surroundings. Their cognitive and social
development has always been the focal point of interest for everyone; however their moral development is often
ignored.
The moral development of children begins from their family. When children socialize with their family
members, they learn moral values and ethics (Reed, Turiel and Brown, 1996). They develop strong sense of
fairness and take rational decision making and practice the same in their daily routine lives.
The moral nature of children is based on imitation. They are good observers and follow others. Many
external and internal factors may also affect children personality. Personality traits and many other
psychological factors deeply influence their moral reasoning skills. In the presence of morality, their decisions
will be in a proper flow, which can help in maintaining healthy relations with society and adjustthemparallel to
societal changes.Failing to foster ethical and moral grooming may led to social detachment. The other factors
which affect their ethical grooming include socio-economic condition, family issues, cognitive factors (Caravita,
Giardino, Lenzi, Salvaterra and Antonietti, 2012; Puka, 1994). Kreps & Gonzales (2010) say that those children
who are maltreated are not groomedmorally and often take wrong decisions in life. Sharma (2013) reported that
there is a lack of moral grooming among children these days due to family issues and moral degradation.
The role of parents in this regard is important (Berkowitz andGrych, 1998). Social institutions equally
contribute for the moral development of children. One of the most important social institution, which is
considered as the basis of moral grooming of child’s personality is school. Its role is highlighted by several
researchers (Weissbourdet al, 2013; Corbett, 2011). School is the place where children spend most of their time
after home. The educational institutions are responsible to provide ethical training to the students. It makes
evident that through social interaction in school, their moral development is highly influenced and directed.
Weissbourd et al (2013) say that school environment in this regard is very important. The way teacher interact,
the background of the classmates, the tactics teachers use to deal with students, the codes and rules, school
connectedness, ethics, curriculum, all led in harmonizing moral development.
Society is constantly changing and its impact can be seen from the behavior and attitude of children.
Social crimes such as abuses, robbery, killing, use of drugs, bullying, and dishonoring parents have increased in
the recent years not only in the western countries but also in Pakistan. The moral corrosion among youth has
also been highlighted by Masath(2013). In this regard, it is very crucial to find, how moral development is
shaped among the school going children in Pakistan and how society and educational institutions promote
ethical practices and contribute for the moral development of students.
II.
Research Methodology
The study has taken survey research methodology.
Population and Sampling
The population for the present study consists of all the students studying atsecondary level in Karachi. The
sample size of 200 is selected through random sampling from 5 private educational institutions of Karachi (40
from each institution).
Research Instrument
The Commitment to Ethical Goodness Scale (Narvaez et al., 2008) has been used to collect data from the
respondents. 3-factors (Ethical Identity Scale, Moral Locus of Control and Ethical Self-Regulations) are used.
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Attitude Of Students Towards Ethical And Moral Values In Karachi, Pakistan
III.
Data Analysis
Table 1
Number of participants according to gender
Gender
No of Participants
100
100
200
Male
Female
Total
Percentage
50
50
100
Table 2
Showing the responses on Scale
Section A: Ethical Identity Scale
Being a good person at school is important to me
SA
127.0
A
43.0
D
12.0
SD
18.0
I respect my teachers and always obey their commands
40.0
87.0
32.0
41.0
I learnt about ethics in school
72.0
35.0
56.0
37.0
People at school think I'm a good person
44.0
39.0
109.0
8.0
Being a good person at home is important to me
19.0
12.0
127.0
42.0
People at home think I am a good person
I know what it means to be a good person at home
I am a good person at home
117.0
51.0
119.0
72.0
69.0
44.0
9.0
59.0
33.0
2.0
21.0
4.0
I am a good person with my friends
I agree with most of my friends on what it is to be a good person
Section B: Moral Locus of Control
It doesn’t matter whether you are good or bad.
132.0
16.0
9.0
99.0
49.0
36.0
10.0
49.0
97.0
74.0
26.0
3.0
I don’t mind doing bad sometimes
37.0
89.0
43.0
31.0
I do what my friends do.
Section C: Ethical Self-Regulation
I have rules for myself that I follow.
120.0
39.0
10.0
31.0
188.0
9.0
1.0
2.0
I behave badly
Ethics have no value in my life
39.0
21.0
47.0
39.0
114.0
107.0
0.0
33.0
When things go wrong, it’s other people’s fault.
109.0
82.0
4.0
5.0
I often speaks truth
39.0
78.0
70.0
13.0
Table 3
Showing the Mean and Standards Deviation of Scale
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
SA
18
77.0556
49.91224
A
18
53.6667
28.45636
D
18
49.8333
40.54663
SD
18
19.4444
16.40740
Valid N (list-wise)
18
IV.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Results
Majority of the respondents are positive on greater part of the items of Ethical Identity Scale
The trend among the respondents for majority of the items in Moral Locus of Control & Ethical SelfRegulation is found to be negative.
Being a good person at school is important for most of the students.
Majority respect their teachers and obey their commands, but good number of students do not follow it.
Half of the respondents learnt about ethics in school, while the rest half disagreed.
Majority of the students perceived others opinion about their personality as negative at school.
Majority of the students do not value being good at home, however majority agreed that they know the
importance of being good at home. In addition to that, majority of the students also agreed that they are
perceived as good by their family members as well as by their own self.
Majority value friendship and and are influenced by their friends.
Majority engaged themselves in unethical practices at times.
Majority have don’t care attitude about others.
Majority of the students set their own rules to follow.
Majority avoid misbehavior.
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Attitude Of Students Towards Ethical And Moral Values In Karachi, Pakistan
13.
14.
15.
Majority value ethics in their lives.
Majority blame others for faults.
Majority do not speak truth often
V.
Discussion
Moral Development is the foundation stone for social interaction (Berger, 2005; Koenig,
Cicchetti&Rogosch, 2004). It not only builds rapport, but also provides social satisfaction to individuals. The
social adjustability gradually shifts by time and links to the sense of maturity in understanding and responding to
the situations. Exposing individuals to morality help to reap socially interactive human, which are welladjustable in society and morally groomed for gaining good rapport from surrounding.
Moral development is very important for children. Many factors are involved in the moral development of
children including self-control and self- esteem (Berkowitz &Grych, 1998). Since children are energetic and
active, self-control over various occasions is crucial to judge their adjustability to environment. Their limitations
are unbounded and their decisions are often influenced by others. Additionally, self-esteem is so crucial that a
single word of de-motivation can led them towards negative feeling and unethical practices. It makes evident
that their decisions may lead to unethical practices, if not directed by social institutions.
From the table, section A, it is concluded that majority of the students strongly agree that it is crucial for
them to be good amongst their school mates. It shows that students are possessive about their self-esteem and
their rapport among the people involved at school. Self- esteem is very important for children. It comes in
children from environment. They learn about self-esteem from school and from family. It helps to develop selfcontrol skills, kindness, patience, peace and love. Those children who believe in self-esteem are highly
confident, generate positive thinking and make better decisions in life (Brooks, 2012, Hannell, 2012).Majority
of the students agreed that it is wise to obey the command of teachers, however a good number of respondents
also disagree with the same statement. It reflects that unethical practices prevail among few of the school going
children and their attitude with teachers is not as good as it is expected. Majority of the students do not value
being good at home, however majority agreed that they know the importance to be good at home, whereas
majority also agreed that they are perceived as good by their family members as well as by their own self.
Half of the students learnt about ethics in schools, whereas the rest did not. Moral education is the pillar of
ethical grooming. It is often termed as religious or character education. It is the critical domain, which helps to
shape the behavior of students. The importance of moral education is highlighted by various studies
(Braspenning, 2010,Oladipo, 2009, Larson, 2009, Halstead & Pike, 2006, Gardner, Cairns and Lawton, 2003).
Several countries initiated moral education as the core subject in school education, which contributed in the
moral development of children (Balakrishnan, 2010). In western countries, the concept of moral education is not
well practiced, but in the eastern countries such as Pakistan, moral education is provided to the students in the
form of subject of ethics (Islamiat- Religious teachings). Children are taught about goodness and about
attributes of moral well-being. Unfortunately, moral education alone is not reaping best products as children are
involved in unethical practices these days. The same is found by this research.
Majority of the students perceive others opinion about their personality as negative at school. This notion
shows that their attitude or their lives are molded in such a manner that their gestures and act are unaccepted for
many. It eventually leads them to engage in unethical practices in order to seek attention of others or to prove
others wrong. Majority is good with their friends and knows how to maintain rapport with them.
From the table, section B discloses that majority have don’t care attitude towards others. Few are also
engaged in unethical social activities, whereas majority follows their friends in taking decisions. It shows that
their friend circle highly impact their behavioral pattern.
From the table, section C discloses that majority follow their rules. Majority do not speak truth whereas
majority blames others for wrong act. All these three issues reflect presence of unethical practices.
VI.
Conclusion
Weissbourd et al. (2013) suggested that school can nurture moral and ethical grooming by prioritizing
student teacher relationship, by providing opportunities for students to practice skills, by providing them
leadership role, by using discipline strategies, by conducting regular assessment for values and by dealing with
issues intelligently. Students in Pakistan must also be given chance to have their say. They must also be
provided with moral education training.
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